Amos barnes



(No Model.)

A. BARNES. SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILROAD GROSSINGS.

Patented July 1, 1890..

WITNESSES INVEWTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMOS BARNES, OF PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY O. WVARD, OF SAME PLACE.

SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILROAD-CROSSINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,027, dated July 1, 1890.

Application filed October 15, 1889. Serial No. 327,063. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AMos BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pontiac, county of Oakland, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Signaling Apparatus for Railway- Orossings; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is designed to produce a signaling apparatus for railway-crossings which shall be a positive indication to an engineer approaching a crossing whether he has the right of way over the crossing or not and it consists, essentially, in the provision of suitable semaphores placed at the desired distance from the crossing in each direction, and means, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed, for operating said semaphores.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a railway-crossing and the semaphores embodying my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the mechanism for operating the semaphores.

In carrying out my invention, A and B represgnt the railway-tracks crossing each other at D D are the semaphores placed at the desired distance from the crossing, and provided with the cables E, extending to the crossing, where they are connected with suitable mechanism for operating the semaphores. This mechanism consists, essentially, as follows:

F is any suitable base or stand provided with a frame-work F and pivot or shaft F Mounted on this pivot and adapted to swing freely thereon are the levers G G, to which the ends of the semaphore-cables are attached. The cables extending from the semaphore D are attached to the lever G, while those extending from the semaphore D are attached to the lever G. The lever G is provided with a suitable groove g, and through this groove is extended the set-scrcw g, which enters the lever G. It will thus be seen that by loosening the set-screw the levers may be adjusted at any angle to each other and set in this position. This angle will of course depend upon the angle at which the tracks cross each other. If it be a right angle, the levers will be set at right angles to each other; if an acute angle, the levers will be set at the same angle with each other.

H is a suitable lever or handle attached to the lever G, and J is a suitable segmentprovided with the notches j, above which the lever H is adapted to sweep, and into the notches of which it may drop to hold the lever in the desired position.

The operation of the device is as follows: The cables connecting the lever G with the semaphore D are connected in opposite directions from those connecting the semaphore D with the lever Gthat is to say, they are so connected that a revolution of the levers will relax the cables connecting one set of semaphores, while it will tighten the cable connecting the other set. Thus a throw of the handle, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, will operate to tighten the cables on the semaphores D, while it will relax the cables connecting the semaphores D. Thus the position of the semaphoreD will indicate to the approaching engineer that the crossing is obstructed, while the position of the semaphores D will indicate to the approaching engineer that the crossing is clear. By thus supplying a mechanism which is a positive indication as to the state of the crossing the attendant at the crossing can indicate at a distance to the approaching engineer whether the crossing is clear or not, and when the attendant has signaled to an approaching train that the crossing is clear he of necessity throws the danger-signal on the other track. There is no necessity of their stopping the train.

By providing the adjusting mechanism between the two levers the same apparatus can be used at any crossing, whether it be at right angles or at obtuse angles, since by loosening the set-screw the levers can be adjusted as desired.

Of course any suitable semaphores can be used, and the mechanism for holding the ban dle H in the desired position might be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, which consists, essentially,-of the levers G G, adjustably connected together for operating two sets of semaphores.

What I claim is 1. A signaling apparatus for railway-crossings, consisting of suitable semaphores placed at the desired distances from the crossing, cables extending from said semaphores to the crossings, and mechanism for operating said semaphores simultaneously, consisting of two levers to which the semaphore-cables are attached, said levers engaged together, so as to move simultaneously, and means for moving the levers and thus operating the semaphores, substantially as described.

2. In a signaling apparatus for railwaycrossings, the combination, with suitable semaphores placed at the desired distance and suitable cables extending therefrom to the crossing, of mechanism for operating said semaphores, consisting of suitable horizontal levers engaged together, to which the somaphore-cables are attached, means for engaging said levers adjustably together, and mechanism for operating the levers simultaneously, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

AMOS BARNES. Witnesses:

W. H. CHAMBERLIN,

L. A. DOELTZ. 

